- Features borrowed from flagship UB900

- High-resolution audio support

Panasonic has used CES 2017 to launch a trio of new 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray players at the more affordable end of the budget spectrum. The DMP-UB400, UB310 and UB300 all promise to deliver a super-sharp 4K Blu-ray image thanks to the company's Hollywood Cinema Experience Processor (HCX) which promises to deliver "precise colours and optimal brightness".

Panasonic has developed a new function for the three players that claim to allow them to "faithfully reproduce dark and bright areas regardless of viewing environment". If for example you're watching a dimly lit scene but are sitting in a bright room, Panasonic's new function can increase the brightness of what's on screen, but retain all the detail. The same function will be rolled out to the DMP-UB900 and DMP-UB700 via a firmware update at a later date.

While all three players are capable of delivering a high quality 4K image, it's the features and connections that separate them. The DMP-UB400 has twin HDMI outputs, one for video and one for audio, a feature borrowed from the UB900 and UB700. The twin outputs separate video and audio signals to help minimise interference. However all three can playback high-resolution audio via physical source or streaming.

Netflix and Amazon 4K streaming services are supported across the range so you're not short of 4K content options. Panasonic has yet to confirm when the new 4K Blu-ray players will go on sale but we'll update this story as soon as we know more.